Lieblong New Chair for Arkansas Regulator

Thoroughbred owner and breeder Alex Lieblong is the new chairman of the Arkansas State Racing Commission, following the decision of longtime chairman Cecil Alexander to step down.

Earlier this month Alexander, 80, announced plans to step down as chairman and leave the commission after serving for 24 years. Gov. Asa Hutchinson appointed Lieblong as new chairman May 26.

"Cecil set a very high bar," Lieblong said. "He did more for Arkansas racing—he and (Oaklawn Park owner) Charles Cella—we owe it all to them. Cecil is a wonderful fellow and we just hope we don't drop the ball."

Off another strong Oaklawn meeting, Alexander said the time was right to step down. He plans to continue to regularly attend races at Oaklawn, which in 2015 saw American Pharoah   win the Arkansas Derby (gr. I) before his Triple Crown sweep, and in 2016 saw all-sources handle improve 4% to $180.6 million and attendance grow 12% to 559,650.

Oaklawn's success in recent years has been aided by the 2000 addition of historical racing games called Instant Racing, gaming machines developed by the Cella family that look like slot machines but base payoffs on historical races and a pari-mutuel formula. Alexander was not overwhelmed when he first saw the games but he was willing to give them a chance.

"When I first saw one of the Instant Racing machines, I didn't think they would be very popular. How I missed that I'll never know, because that's what started us on the movement to have Instant Racing at both the dog track (Southland Park) and the Thoroughbred track," Alexander said. "We had some opposition to it, but we felt like it would be something we could sell and see if it would work to help increase the purse structure. We were able to take those additional revenues and increase purses for both the dog track and the horse track."

Alexander said something needed to be tried.

"We thought we were going to go under—both tracks," Alexander said. "Their attendance was down to nothing, the purse structure was not good, and we were seeing a lot of people going to the casinos in Mississippi rather than spending their money at the horse or dog track."

Alexander added that Oaklawn had an owner who was interested in making gaming work for racing.

"Charles Cella was very supportive of Thoroughbred racing. Gaming wasn't the thing he was interested in," Alexander said. "He was interested in gaming as a way of increasing the purses for the track. The improved purse structure has helped improve the quality of horses coming to Oaklawn. They've done a beautiful job."

LIeblong, who with his wife JoAnn has campaigned top horses like grade I-winning sprinter The Big Beast  , noted that the Cella family's commitment to racing has helped the marriage of gaming and racing work in Arkansas.

"A lot of times when you get the racino, the horse racing kind of dies," Lieblong said. "We've done kind of the opposite—probably because of several things maybe the (Saratoga Race Course)-type of meet—but the people have kept coming out for the racing. I think it's a great model. A lot of it is because the Cella family loves horse racing. We're very fortunate."

Lieblong, who has served on the commission since 2004, was appointed chairman through January 2019. Also Thursday, commissioner Mark Lamberth was named vice chairman (through 2021). Appointed to Alexander's open commission seat was Steve Landers, also a Thoroughbred owner—he campaigns graded stakes-placed Dazzling Gem. Kent Hunter was named to an open seat following the recent resignation of Jimmy Lee Didier.

Lieblong likes that the commission, which also includes Denny East and Michael Post, has many direct ties to racing and breeding. He said commissioners need to make sure to avoid direct conflicts of interest but the positives of having that experience and understanding far outweigh concerns.

Lamberth said Alexander, who has owned many horses in partnerships, made a positive impact on the sport in Arkansas and everyone he worked with.

"Cecil Alexander was such a great commissioner for Arkansas. He oversaw all the changes, particularly the gaming," Lamberth said. "He was the former Speaker of the House here in Arkansas; had a lot of contacts and worked tirelessly for the horse industry.

"We had our first meeting last week without him and it was very strange not to have him there. He was a mentor to me and many others in Arkansas."

Alexander is proud of the strides Arkansas has made.

"I certainly enjoyed serving on the commission. We had a lot of interesting things that happened during my tenure, both on the greyhound side and Thoroughbreds," Alexander said. "What we've accomplished has just been tremendous for racing in Arkansas."